The Northen Tale
by Supersalee
Summary: Cynthia never expected meeting this strange man on the riverside. She did not expect to travel trought time with this Time Lord to become part of an old tale.
1. The last gift

This fanfiction come right after "Planet of the Dead". I inserted a character of the old series, the Brigadier, who would have known almost all the old doctors from the second.

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He had little time left. He felt it. Soon he would join his wife who had left this world 12 years ago. There was not much time, however, he could not leave yet. He still had something to do before leaving. There is nothing that could do a weak man, sick in bed for weeks. However, he had to wait a little more.

He had to see him one last time and he knew he would not leave this world without seeing him. He had always known. He also felt that he would have completely changed, as it had happened so often for all these years. He closed his eyes to rest a while. He heard footsteps, then the sound of a chair sliding next to the bed.

He knew it was him. He felt it.

He opened his eyes. As he thought, he had changed again. He was much younger, brown hair, piercing eyes and behind that look, this great wisdom.

\- Doctor, I was expecting you.

\- I just happen to be passing by, Brigadier.

Alistair Lethbridge-Steward smiled.

\- Always there when you are needed, old friend.

\- You look a little pale, you didn't take the sun recently.

Former Brigadier laughed, but he choked.

\- In time, you were more resistant to my joke.

\- I can resist much to the time, doctor.

Lethbridge-Steward felt he was weakening. He had more important things to say.

\- In my dresser...

The doctor, puzzled, got up, walked around the bed and opened the drawer. There, he found a small wooden box with a spiral engraved on the lid.

\- I kept it for you. I think it is yours to make something about it.

The Time Lord's face darkened. He stared at the old man.

\- What is it?

\- Later ... please... stay ...

The Brigadier sank into unconsciousness. The doctor wanted to sat down, to took the hand of his old friend and wait, but the box puzzled him. He look the Brigadier for the last time. This man would never die, just to strong.

\- So long old friend, he mutered.


	2. The white lady

Cynthia was driving her car to get to work. Like every day, she took the road that ran along the river. However, this morning there was fog, which was not usual for this time of year. In addition, she had slept badly the night before and was a little tired; coffee would not hurt.

Then she saw something strange. For a moment she thought she saw something blue and rectangular partially hidden by fog. Some hundred meters further, she noticed the silhouette of a woman dressed in white who came into the icy water of February.

She braked suddenly, parked the car on the side of the road and rushed to the suicidal woman now having water up to her hips.

\- Please! Come back!

The woman did not turn around. Cynthia knew she had to enter into the icy water. She hesitated, then stepped one foot into the water. A hand grabbed her by the arm and forced her back.

\- You should realy not go!

She turned. A man wearing a suit and a trenchcoat was still holding her. He was holding a small wooden box in the other hand.

\- If I don't, she will drown.

\- Who is going to drown?

She whirled around, there was nobody in the water.

\- She was trying to draw you into the water. If you had set foot in the water, she would have taken you.

\- Maybe she sink...

\- No. What you saw was only a staging. There are hundreds like her on Earth. They live in water, they are spectolumineuses creatures, they have no consistency and feed on sun light, some of them absorb human brain waves. It's not feed them, it amuses them. After that, the victim has no conscience, no will: or he is drowning, or he ends up in an asylum.

She looked at the river; there was no current. If a woman had drowned, she should see her body floating around. There was nothing. The man seemed sincere, but his story did not make sense, nothing explained what had happened.

\- I guess you just saved me ... Well! if what you say is true. Thank you.

\- You are welcome. I'm the doctor and you?

\- Cynthia.

\- Well, Cynthia, can you tell me where this road lead?

\- It goes to Drummondville. I can drop you, she added when she saw that he was already looking at her car.

\- That would be nice of you.

Cynthia tried to forget that this strange man had either to save his life or prevented her from saving a mysterious woman that had vanished soon after. He got into the car and sat beside her with the small box in his hand.


	3. Getting warmer, getting colder

While she was drinving to the city, the fog lifted slowly. Cynthia was intrigued by the strange man sitting on the passenger seat and also the box with the spiral engraved. She had already seen this spiral somewhere. While driving, she cast a glance at the box.

Finally, she decided to start a conversation.

\- How did you know the woman in the river? How did you know she was not real?

\- She was real, I've no doubt about it, but she was not human.

\- Meaning... alien?

\- Exactly. In fact, these creatures come from the planet Vishra, but they left their planets millions years ago to any planets where there is water and sunlight. Normally, they are not very dangerous, but when one of them decides to drugs himself with brain waves, is something else. But that's not what worries me most.

Then she remembered that there were several drownings in the area in newspapers and some unexplained disappearances.

\- And you don't find it disturbing that aliens settled like that on Earth without anyone knowing?

\- The Vishriennes are not dangerous, when one of them starts sucking brains, it means she is a victim of external mental influence and that's what worries me.

\- And how do you know all this?

He looked at the wooden box.

\- An old friend put me on the track. Stranges things happening here and it lasts for decades. I am determined to find out what it is.

Cynthia was increasingly intrigued by this strange man. His story was preposterous, but she was tempted to believe. She had always been attracted to the paranormal, but also by stories with magic and heroism. She became an expert on ancient myths and the Doctor's story intrigued her. After all, this Vishrienne reminded her suddenly "La dame blanche", a very present figure in Quebec's legends and there were some variations around the world. Anyway, she was intrigued and wanted to know more. So she offered her help to the Doctor in his investigation.

The Doctor seemed to think for a moment.

\- Actually, there's one thing you could do. If you know the area well, you could tell me. It would help me in my research.

Cynthia then then spoke of her town, good place to visit, its history. The doctor seemed to be half listening, and then he interrupted.

\- But is there rumors, strange old stories?

\- I don't see what you mean.

\- A soldier, friend of mine, came here twenty years ago. I don't know what he found there, but he brought back this box. It is impossible to open, even with a sonic screwdriver.

\- A what?

\- A gadget that opens anything. This means that I can not force the box. There is something inside. I don't know what, but I feel like it's alive. It is dormant, lurking in the box, waiting for something.

\- And it comes from here?

\- No, but it's been here, it comes from elsewhere. The brigadier found this box in circumstances he failed to mention me. Let's say he did not have time. I know he came here and I know it also because it heats up more and more.

\- It warms? It looks like the game "getting warmer, getting colder ».

The doctor gave her a questioning look. Cynthia explained.

\- It is a game for children. A player hide an object in a room and when the other approached the object, the first player tells him that he is warming. If he moves away, he is getting colder. The closer the other player is, he is burning. When he is too far away he is frozen.

The doctor then seemed delighted. He showed a mischievous smile.

\- Exactly. The closer of the place we are and the warmer is the box.

His face darkens.

\- The trouble is that it really might burn there and it will not be a game.

He then patted the box.

\- TURN BACK!

She took a dramatic Uturn and retraced her steps to a small country road that crossed the main road.

\- Turn there! The box has begun to cool down as soon as we moved away from this cross.

She turned on the small gravel road, rolling in the fields in the dirty white landscape of the end of February. The sun timidly filtered through the clouds. The car rolled to a small river and an old ruined mill.

\- There it is! The box is so hot that it's hard to keep. You can leave if you want.

\- I told you I'd help you.

\- I do not know the dangers that we will face, Cynthia.

\- No problem, she said smiling, I'm a karaoke black belt.

\- In this case, said the doctor, descendant of the car, if we are attacked you can always thrash our assailant with vibrato and crescendos.

Cynthia followed him to the mill.

\- What hurts the most in my case is the wrong notes.

The doctor's face became serious. He stared at the mill, as if studying his enemy before moving to the attack.

\- So, are you ready to face the unknown?


	4. The old mill

The mill seemed to wait for them. It was an old flour mill, powered by the wheel which the stream current had formerly made turn. At that time, the current had had to be stronger; the small flow rate of water which remained would not have been enough for the task. What remained of the wheel was broken in two and was stuck in the ice. The stone building remained, but windows were broken, the door was beaten by the wind and the roof was broken.

\- It reminds me the story of a haunted mill, Cynthia whispered. There was a mill in the area. Not a millers stays for long in that mill. They all ran away. The last was a young married whose wife disappeared without a trace. He left the mill and no one dare to work in that mill.

\- It could be this mill.

\- I don't think. Legend says it was razed to the ground.

\- Well! It has grown back.

After this foolish remark, the doctor walked to the mill. Cynthia followed him.

\- It growned back. Are kidding me?

The doctor did not answer, he took a funny pen from his pocket and pointed it at the mill. The object started buzzing.

\- What are you doing?

\- I try to see if the sound of my sonicscrewdriver is going to make it react.

Cynthia began thinking that this doctor perhaps needed a doctor, the type which treat what takes place between both ears. Then, he asked her :

\- Cynthia, come and see.

She approached, he handed her the box. It was so hot, she almost drop it.

\- I think it's time to say "you are burning." Now look at this spiral enclosed in a triangle on the lid.

\- I have the feeling of having seen it before somewhere.

\- It may have been reproduced in different locations. Look.

He pointed to a ledge above the door. Something was engraved in the molding, but it was almost erased. She approached. It was the same symbol: the spiral in the triangle.

\- It would help if you coud remember where you saw it.

\- I can't remember. It would help me if you could you explain to me how a mill can grow.

\- It's simple, in fact, this is not a mill, but a lifeform.

At this time, a low growl, from the mill, seemed to answer the doctor. He grabbed Cynthia's hand.

\- RUN!

Cynthia had no other choice than following the doctor who was holding her hand firmly. She heard behind a mighty roar and a landslide noise. In the hurry, she dropped the box.

The Doctor and Cynthia were thrown to the ground by an explosion. Cynthia had felt the heat of the explosion. She rose unsteadily, she glanced towards the doctor who also fell. She turned to the mill, expecting to see the smoking ruins, her shredded car and debris everywhere.

There was nothing. Her car was intact , parked in front of the foundations of the vanished mill. There was no trace of the mill, even the broken wheel had vanished.

She wondered how the doctor would explained this disappearance fearing something excentric again. She turned to him. Without saying a word, he walked over to the foundations of the old mill. She followed him. He stooped examined what was left and proclaimed.

\- I did not expecting that.

\- Where's the mill?

\- Where's the box?

Cynthia felt embarrassed when she realized she had lost it. She was so clumsy! The doctor understood.

\- That explains a lot. The creature who had assumed the form of the mill wanted the box, not us. If you had not dropped it, we would have been killed in the blast.

\- But where's the box? Where is the mill?

\- They left together. And of course, it was not a mill. Look at the foundations.

She took a few steps. There was only the basement of the mill, surrounded by eroded stone foundations. The cellar was half filled with scree and snow. A tree grew in the middle of the enclosure.

\- You see? There was no mill here since a long time. What we saw was an illusion. Something else was waiting for us and it stole the box.

\- But where?

\- Good question.

He pulled out a strange object from his pocket that was reminiscent of a heap of microchips patched together. The object emitted a series of "bip" the doctor studied carefully.

\- There is a quantum signature, he fled in time.

\- You mean time travel? It is impossible to travel trought time.

\- Do you want to bet?

He seemed serious. Cynthia preferred not to argue, in less than one hour she had seen more impossible things than ... ever. So if all of this were possible, why not time travel.

\- I think I can determine at what time he went, but it will difficult to catch him. We must go Tardis. Can you bring me near the place we met?


	5. The cursed logger

While the doctor was running around a circular console, pressing all buttons and levers, Cynthia was trying to understand how this science fiction machinery was found inside a small blue box. A column in the middle of the console began to rise and fall along with the noise of a train starts. The doctor seemed then remarked Cynthia looking around with a bewildered air.

\- I use colors that magnify, that's why it looks bigger in the inside.

She did not smile at the joke.

\- This technology here... too futuristic. Who are you, doctor... doctor who?

\- Just doctor is enough, he replied a little annoyed.

Cynthia sighed.

\- Very well, let the mystery be. If it can be bigger in the inside, so maybe that time travel is possible. So "when" are we going?

\- We will travel backwards 170 years in the past.

\- It's the time of construction of the mill!

\- It should not be a coincidence. Do you know other things about that time, the doctor asked while opening the door of the Tardis.

She continued the conversation outside in a snowy forest.

\- I know little about this small village. The region began to be colonized. The city I mentioned has just been founded. There are Native American, Abenaki, I think. There're maybe some...

She heard a cracking sound and a very large tree almost fell on the Tardis.

\- ... Lumber camps.

As she said those words, she took a step and sank into the snow. Someone came waddling. In fact, he was walking with snowshoes, an old leather pattern and wooden rackets, not plastic or composite materials used today. He carried an ax.

\- What are you doing here? How did you get here?

He noticed Cynthia half buried in the snow.

\- Where are your snowshoes, miss. You shouldn't walk without snowshoes in the forest in winter. Don't you know that?

\- I'm the doctor and she is Cynthia.

\- My name is Nathaniel. A doctor you said. We would need a doc. The old Baptist fell ill. I can take you to the camps, but without snowshoes, it will not be easy.

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Half an hour later, and Dr. Cynthia entered the small cabin log, exhausted and soaked. Cynthia sat near the fireplace for warmth. The doctor followed Nathaniel to a bedridden. She could hear the conversation.

\- When that started?

\- Two days ago, in the morning.

\- Is something strange or unexpected happened?

The young woodcutter hesitated.

\- N ... No.

\- Are you sure? No visitors, no bizarre phenomena.

\- Not to my knowledge. Can you do something for him?

To the surprise of Cynthia, he replied.

\- He is the victim of a curse. I can't help it if I don't know who cursed him and why.

\- It does not make sense, exclaimed Cynthia approaching the three men!

Then she saw the sick man and frozed. His eyes were completely black, there was no iris, no white. His skin was covered with red spots, such as burns. From his mouth, he whispered incessantly in an incomprehensible jargon. He seemed haggard, as if he lost his humanity. His hands began to tremble. The doctor took one, looked at the palm and turned it to show it to Cynthia. There was a burn mark : a spiral in a triangle.

\- This is ...

\- It is strange, indeed, interrupted the doctor.

He stared at Nathaniel.

\- I need more information. I got to know what happened.

\- I ... I do not know what happened to him.

He pulled himself together.

\- I'll get the foreman, if something happened, he will know. Meanwhile, you can warm yourself by the fire.

He rushed out. The doctor went to sit by the fireplace on a log. Cynthia came and settled on another log.

\- What do we pursue? It is surely not a mill that walks.

\- It's able to create illusions, we must expect everything, a tree, an animal, even a human.

\- Is he dangerous?

\- Ho! Yes! And we provided him exactly with what he needed.

\- The box?

\- I think the box was entrusted to the Brigadier to move it away from here. Without its contents, this lifeform, wathever it is, could do nothing. He was a prisoner of the ruins of the mill until we arrived.

\- And we brought him the box on a silver platter.

He smiles.

\- Don't worry. This would have happened any way. Is better to be me than anyone else. Lethbridge-Steward knew what he was doing when he gave me that box.

He became serious and stared into that of Cynthia.

\- You said you seen this symbol before. Are you able to remember where?

Cynthia tried again, but nothing came. She shook her head. The doctor put a hand in the face and another behind his head. She heard the voice of the doctor who sounded an echo more and more distant.

\- We will explore your memories and find this symbol.

She dive into another world, in another time.


	6. The foreman's tale

_"Mom pulls too hard on my hand._ _I tell her, but she don't listen._ _I think she is eager to get home._ _I am not looking forward._ _There are too many beautiful things in this store._ _I would like to live in a store full of toys._ _Mom just dropped my hand._ _Great!_ _I see beautiful colors, on the shelf there._ _It looks like candy._ _I'll go further._

 _These are candy._ _I want those who are in a blue package._ _I like the blue._ _I'll take it to mom and ask her to buy me a package._

 _But where's Mom?_ _I lost her!_ _I must find her._ _I go where I was with Mom._ _But she isn't there._ _I was mistaken._ _I'm going to see the other side._ _I don't recognize this place._

 _A hand grabs my hand and pulls hard._ _Yippee!_ _It's Mom._

 _I watch._ _It's not mom._ _It's a unknown man._ _I'm scared._ _He goes fast, and pulls harder on my arm, he hold my hand to tight and it hurts._ _I'm crying._ _We are now outside the building._ _He puts his hand over my mouth and tell me to shut up._ _He has evil eyes._ _I'm really scared._ _He brings me to the red car and opens the trunk._ _No!_ _I do not want to go in the trunk._ _I'm screaming._ _He hit me and I fall down._ _It hurts!_

 _So, I hear a noise._ _The bad man also fall down._ _I see another man._ _He hit the villain._ _He takes me in his arms and brings me back to Mom._ _As we move away, I see the bad man who gets up and I notice that he has a strange mark on his hand : a spiral into a triangle_ "

Cynthia came back to the reality. The doctor had just let go.

\- I'm really, really sorry. I woke a traumatic memory.

Cynthia felt shaken. His mother had never even told her that she was abducted at four years old in a shopping center. She had forgotten all about this scary adventure. She sometimes had nightmares about red car and shopping center, but she had never made the connection with reality.

\- The man who saved you, added the doctor, is the brigadier, the man who handed me the box. It can't be coincidence.

At this time, the door opened, letting in a cold breeze. Nathaniel entered followed by the foreman, a tall man of uncertain age. He had brown hair sprinkled with white and dark eyes. He handed to the doctor a large calloused hand.

\- Hello doctor, I'm Beaudoin, looks like you can help us with the old Baptiste?

The doctor shook his hand.

\- May be. I need to know what happened to him.

\- Nathaniel, said the foreman. Paul might need a hand.

The young woodcutter exited. The foreman took a log and sat by the fire. He noticed Cynthia.

\- Miss. There are many weeks that we have not seen a woman. So if the guys are too disturbing, tell me.

\- Okay, thank you.

Beaudoin stared at the flames for a while.

\- I've been doing this job there for a long time, you know. I am loggers since I'm fourteen. I was appointed foreman there fifteen years ago. I saw many hotheads in camps, guys who wanted to fight for a yes or a no, alcoholics, sloths, complainers and so on. I always knew how to deal with them. I can put them in their place and bring harmony in the camps. But this man who came at the beginning of this camp, I've never seen someone like that. To me, he was the devil himself or one of his employees.

\- Who?

\- He said his name was Francis. He was quiet, he was doing his job properly, he did not seek a fight. But when he was looking at me, I was feeling shivering. He always had this funny wooden box with him. He never opened it but brought it everywhere he went.

Cynthia and the doctor exanged a glance.

\- I know he offered something to some of my guys, but I do not know what. Nobody wanted to tell me. When Christmas approaches, everyone is sad because we are far from home and we would like being with our families for Christmas Eve. It's hard to be so far away for months. We write to our families, but it's not the same. We manage, but when Christmas comes, it's harder ...

He kept staring at the fire, lost in memory.

\- This winter, with the holidays coming, half of my guys were in good spirits. That was unusual. For Chrismas Eve, I organized a small party in the main cabin, that's where we usualy take our meals. There were only half the guys. I wanted to know where the others were, but nobody knew. We search all the cabins, we did not found them. Moreover, a canoe was missing. I thought they were not crazy enough to go to their families by canoe. It's too far away. It would take days. But, on Christmas Day, they had not returned. We were all worried. They returned the next day, exhausted, carrying a canoe on their back.

\- Did they tell you where they went?

\- No. I tried everything. No one spoke. I noticed two things. They seemed to blame the old Baptiste, for no reason. And of course, Francis did not came back with them. We haven't seen him since that day.

\- And Baptiste?

\- He started behaving strangely the next day. It became worse every day after. I swear he was possessed. He no longer spoke the same way. He was not listening to me. He wandered alone in the forest. We found him two days ago as sick as today.

Cynthia had trouble believing it. What the foreman had just told was just like a _"_ chasse-gallery _"_. It was one of the most famous french canadien myths in Quebec. To be able to celebrate with their families, Loggers would make alliance with the devil who was flying a canoe to their village. In this tale, loggers was forbidden to say religious words, pray, or toutch the steeple of a church at risk of falling from the sky and loosing their sool. Was that what had happened to Baptiste? Had he told a forbidden word? Was he cursed for that?


	7. Death trap

The fire crackled softly in the fireplace. There were only the reddened embers and some timid flames. The foreman stood and add few logs, which rekindled the flame and sparks rained. While playing with the poker, the foreman continued to speak more for himself than for his interlocutors.

\- Baptiste was a good man. He never should embark with Francis and his friends. He was not like them. I think he wanted to see if his daughter was all right, he had received disturbing news about her. This shouldn't have happened to him.

\- Can I talk to one of those who have disappeared on Christmas Eve, asked the doctor?

\- I can arrange that. Lauriot handles the kitchen today in the next cabin. But I doubt you succeed.

The doctor did not answer, he got up and whispered.

\- Do you hear that?

\- I hear nothing, replied the foreman.

\- That's right. The patient is no longer whispering!

Cynthia got up and turned to see the old Baptiste and almost walk into her. He stood before her, terrifying with his coal eyes fixing her. His jaw trembled and a strange light seemed to emanate from his body.

\- Back away slowly, whispered the doctor.

That was her intention. When she tried a step backwards, the old woodcutter grabbed her hand firmly, he opened his mouth and ... Nothing ... Then everything went black, there was no time, no space, nothing else than Cynthia, only nothingness.

After a moment that seemed to last a fraction of a second to several million years, the doctor's face, struck her retina like an old yellowed and distant picture. Then everything went back. She was lying on a bed next to the one Baptiste had occupied. The doctor was sitting on the bed with deep sadness in his eyes.

\- How do you feel?

\- As if a herd of elephants were trampling me, but it will pass. Where is Baptiste?

\- He's dead, said the doctor in a tone which betrayed frustration.

\- What has happened?

\- Look at your right hand.

With a bad feeling about what she would seen, she turned her right hand to see the palm. The spiral in the triangle was there indeed, but very pale, like an old scar. She felt her stomach tighten.

\- Am I about to ... die?

\- We will find Francis and his box. The box is the key to everything. If we find it, I'll know how to break the spell.

How to find a ghost who could travel in time and change his appearance? Better look for water in the desert! His commentary reminded her he called the disease a curse. A few hours ago, it would have amused her, but now that her life was in danger, it made her angry.

\- Stop talking about magic! Are you a scientist or if doctorate is only window dressing? This is not a spell, no more than a curse. It does not exist! If you can't tell me what it is, find someone who knows.

The doctor did not look affect by her cries. He stood for a moment without speaking, staring into space, then replied.

\- You are right, the magic does not exist. I use the word curse and spell because that is what is closest to the truth. But the truth is so terrible that you will not like to hear it.

Cynthia felt treated her like a child. She wanted to challenge him.

\- Try!

\- You are host to an alien life form that feeds on you, your emotions, your life force. When you will be exhausted, it will leave you to die to attack someone else. This is how it works.

\- And the spiral in the triangle?

\- This is his name in the galactic language of the First Dynasty, I should say "their" name. This lifeform is part of a group that all bear the same name. I think their minds are linked, forming one big entity.

Cynthia swallowed his saliva.

\- And how do you translate this name?

\- The very bright.

Suddenly, her anger vanished, she felt just anxious. She understood why.

\- Now that you have told me, I know we can do something against that. But against magic, curses and spell, there is nothing to do. Then ...

She rose from the bed

\- What are we waiting for? Let's go. We have this man, Lauriot, to speak with.

The Time Lord gave to Cynthia an enigmatic smile.

\- It's already done. Baptiste's death and the attack agains you have shaken him. He finally let it go. If you are ready, we are going to the village.

\- All of this while I was sleeping... What village?

\- It did not have a name, families just arrived in this region to found a new village. There are chances that we find him there. Nathaniel will lead us with a sled harnessed to a horse.

Cynthia pushed away the idea that she was inhabited by an evil lifeform and could died soon. At this moment, she was feeling better. She took her coat and followed the doctor outside.

\- Is Lauriot told you anything else?

\- In fact, he told me a funny story about a flying canoe, but you don't want to hear about magic ...


	8. Allons-y!

All of this seemed unreal. She was in a sleigh pulled by a horse. Heated bricks held her feet warm and she was covered with fur and all around, only the forest and the snow that fell slowly. They saw, on the way, the Tardis with the snow covering it. It seemed strange, urban object in the middle of a wild world. She wanted to avoid thinking that it was not as simple as it looks. A small cabin just large enough to hold two from the outside became a spacious room inside. And that was too weird! But not as much as the feeling of having a little time left to live. She swallowed hard, it was better think of something else. She looked at the landscape with more attention.

The snow flakes was still falling, reminding her of her childhood Christmases. The cold on her face was like a slap, and as she had failed to take her gloves, she felt her left hand freezing; but noting in the right hand. Strangely, this hand was becoming warmer, like the box. May be they were close to the creature or this was a sign of her end comming... But that, she preferred not to think about it. Not now.

Nathaniel took the reins, the doctor sat down beside him and the two were discussing horses and carriage. She wondered how the doctor could know so much about so many different topics. For its part, Nathaniel seemed passionate about cart. In fact, anything that rolls fast. Cynthia noticed that when the conversation veered to the trains.

Cynthia look back at the forest. Life left around some traces. Here, a hare scooted to their approach; further, they came across the footprints of an animal, perhaps a deer. Then she heard the hooting of an owl in daylight. Her hand was warming more and more, but she was not careful. She was looking for nocturnal bird, then noticed a beautiful snowy owl perched on the branch of a birch.

She then felt a burning smell. The doctor turned promtement. That ended her reverie.

\- Cynthia, the cover!

She realized that the fur covering her was burning. She pulled it when Nathaniel stopped the sled. He picked up the fur and threw it into the snow to smother the flames.

\- I have not noticed that you smoked, said the doctor as he was making a snowball.

\- This is not the case.

\- That's what I thought. Take this, he added, putting the ball in her right hand.

She did not even feel the cold of snow in her hand. The ball burst in seconds.

\- So my hand set the cover on fire?

The doctor did not answer, he looked around, searching for something. She understood.

\- You burn, she whispered.

At that time, the snowy owl flew majestically and rushed dive to the three travelers, she saw that he was holding something in his claws. Cynthia's hand became incandescent. The doctor shouted something, but she heard nothing. She was falling into an endless abyss and darkness enveloped her. Then she hit the ground heavily. Her whole body was sore. Her right hand had returned to normal temperature. She was lying on her stomach.

A helping hand helped her up. She acknowledged Nathaniel. A little further, she saw the doctor who was getting up. The sled was in pieces and the horse was runing away, dragging a part of the broken sled. Nathaniel began running to catch the horse

The doctor looked left, right and then up, then he walked over to Cynthia. She held out her right hand. He turned it to look at the palm. The brand was now red, like a freshly cut closed. Cynthia shuddered remembering that it meant she had taken a step closer to a tragic end. The doctor had no comment, he gave her hand back, and then he began talking to himself.

\- The snowy owl, it was the creature we seek. When he rushed toward us, he sent us to another time, but at the same location. This creature opens time vortex, it can not therefore change locations, only time. The trouble is that your hand has returned to a normal temperature, which means that it has sent us in time, but without following us. The tardis remained in the 19th century. So we have no way to return. Whatever the creature that is in your body perhaps has the potential, but awaken it mean your death. We need something else ... Think!Think! Think! There surely has a solution. That's it. The Vishrienne!

Cynthia had found it difficult to follow the reasoning, but she understood that he wanted to see the white lady, the woman of the river.

\- You're crazy! This brain sucker!

\- Look around you, replied the doctor.

She looked, as far away she looked, she saw only land : no trees, no plants, no life, only the young woodcutter who came back holding the horse by the bridle.

\- You said that we were in the same place but when?

\- We are in the future. I can not say the exact year without the tardis, but we are in an era where there is no life on Earth.

\- And humans ...

\- Do not worry. They colonized several planets. You are survivors, able to adapt to almost anything. Believe me, your species will survive until the end of the universe.

\- But ... how the vishrienne can survive?

\- As I said, all she needs is water and sun. But vishriennes are very sensitive to certain psychic anomalies. The creature we are seeking were causing that kind of anomalies. In this time, the Vishrienne surely decontaminated and therefore, she is not dangerous.

He took a few steps, looked around him, moistened his thumb to check the wind direction.

\- What we need is to rediscover the river. In the 19th century, logging camps was there. This means that the Tardis was also in this direction. So the mill was on the other side and the river ...

\- I managed to catch the horse, exclaimed Nathaniel coming back!

-... The river is more difficult to locate, the stream near the mill is surely dry ...

\- It was not difficult, Nathaniel continued, he was thirsty ...

\- ... With thousands of years, it may well have move ...

\- ... Then as soon as he saw the river ...

-... Several kilometers ...

\- ... He rushed to drink.

Cynthia had managed to follow the two simultaneous conversations, she understood what the doctor had not understood, since not listening and turned to Nathaniel.

\- Can you take us to the river?

\- No problem, Nathaniel replied, smiling.

\- Allons-y, concluded the doctor!


	9. A world of sorrow

The river had changed. Without vegetation, it was difficult to recognize it. It seemed less wide and lighter to Cynthia. It flowed through a landscape of stone and sand. There was nothing else, even in water, no life form, no fish, no seaweed.

The doctor approached the river, squatted and touched the water with his fingertips. Then he sang. What initially sounded like a song was, in fact, the repetition of three notes coming out of the groove of the galifreyan. It was now sounding more like a weird language than like a song.

Nathaniel was about to say something, but Cynthia waved him to be quiet. She did not know why the doctor did that and it was obvious that it seemed more ridiculous than useful;but with all that had happened to her for a few hours, she began to understand that he knew what he was doing, even when it seemed to make no sense.

The doctor suddenly stopped. Cynthia saw a reflection of light in water even if the sky was overcast. The reflection became brighter. Then, a blurred shape materialized in the light: the face of a woman with big white hair and eyes without iris or pupil. The shape emerged, illuminating the surroundings. She wore a long white dress. She seemed to float above the water, but the bright sides of her dress touched the water, like a waterfall. Nathaniel was visibly stunned by such an vision. Fearing his reaction, Cynthia took his hand and held it firmly. The lady spoke:

\- You are a Timelord, she says solemnly, I thought you were all gone.

\- I am the last, confirmed the doctor. Do you remember me? We met a long time ago. I have prevented this human here to dive toward you.

The Vishrienne stared at the doctor carefully.

\- The memory is there, but blurry. My mind was twisted by a dark presence.

\- Do you remember when that was?

\- Yes. Almost fifty years.

Cynthia thought she had misheard, but the answer of Doctor confirmed to him the opposite.

\- The end of life on Earth is not supposed to happen in the 21st century. What has happened?

\- The presence ... it returned after your departure. It was more powerful. Then, my mind became blurred. The presence dominated me completely. I think I feed myself of spirit to survive, but I do not remember anything.

\- So we're stuck here, 'said the doctor sadly.

Cynthia does not believe in his ears.

\- What do you mean we're stuck! We have to go back find this creature! It seems obvious that it will cause the end of all life on Earth ... before his time.

The doctor did not answer, avoiding her gaze. Cynthia get angry.

\- If we stay here, I'll die, she said, a tremor in her voice. And you too! After you have eaten the horse, there will be nothing left to eat!

The horse neighed of disapprobation.

\- You are the expert, she screamed! You need to find a solution! There surely has a solution ...

She suddenly understood, and whispered anxiously.

\- I am the solution.

\- I'm sorry, 'said the doctor still looking elsewhere.

Cynthia had rejected from all her might the idea that the creature she was going to kill her. For a long time, she had pretended to ignore that she was mortal and could die. She had buried her fears deep within herself. But now that she was driven to the wall, she had to accept the inevitable.

\- Do not be sorry, she said with a quavering voice, if we stay there, I die, and the rest of the world will remain dead. If you use the creature in me to go back in time, you will have a chance to save the world ... but ... I wish we ...

She could not finish her sentence, tears streaming down her cheeks and her chest was shaken by sobs. Nathaniel ran his hands around her shoulders, she leaned on him to cry. She felt his strong arms tighten against her. Her heart was pounding. She wanted to stay there forever.

The vishrienne then spoke of a strong and vibrant voice, which surprised everyone.

\- Brave Human! You deserve to be saved. I do not remember what happened fifty years ago, but I know something that can help. During a flood, two centuries ago, the scree of sludge have covered a blue box that has the ability to travel through time.

\- The Tardis!

\- This box is now buried. I was in the water, in the flood and I had all my faculties when it happens. So I can tell you where it is.


	10. Chess game

They were all exhausted. It took hours to clear the Tardis with makeshift tools coming from the remains of the sled. The horse had been useful to clear the land and to move a large stone. And after all these efforts, the three time travelers and the horse were resting in the blue box.

\- What this horse is doing in there, suddenly realized the doctor?

\- We can not leave him, he will die of starvation, Nathaniel retorted just recovering from the discovery of the Tardis' dimensions.

\- Besides, he did us a great service, add Cynthia. Without him we would still be digging.

\- Okay, okay, the doctor became impatient, but you take care of him.

\- I will, promised Nathaniel.

The horse came to lay his muzzle on the shoulder of the doctor. The doctor pet his muzzle, apparently softened.

\- Does he have a name, or should we continue to call him the horse?

\- His name is Gus.

Suddenly, a jolt forced them to hold the console. Gus staggered, but kept the balance.

\- We're arrived, said the doctor.

Cynthia walked to the door.

\- One moment, shouted the gallifreyan.

He disappeared through a door that Cynthia had just noticed. The idea that the Tardis was even bigger from the inside than she had thought gave her a slight headache. He returned a few minutes later with a small bag he tucked in one of the many pockets of his coat.

Moments later, they walked outside in bright sunshine and on the fresh grass. Gus rushed to eat grass and Nathaniel followed him.

\- This is not the right time. We were in February.

\- Now we are in May. It's warmer here, isn't it?

\- Damn, it's been three months since I left. Everyone must be wondering where I am. Why not going three months back?

\- Because according to the Tardis data banks recorded when she was trapped underground, that creature is returned at this time. In fact, he will come back in an hour, to the exact location we were when we were sent into the future, meaning...

He made three steps, then he stopped in the middle of a cycle track running through the wooded area.

\- ... Right here!

\- Great, we only have to wait. In fact, what we will do when he'll get here?

The doctor searched into the pockets of his coat to get out the little bag.

\- We will put it in check. Go for it! Take a handful.

He handed her the bag. She opened it to find the pieces of a chess game.

\- It's a joke. Do you offer to play a game of chess with this creature.

He took the bag, took a handful and put the bag in the hands of Cynthia. He then began to put the pieces on the floor to make a circle. Not knowing what else to do with this bag, she helped him.

\- We will make a circle with the pieces of chess, he explained simultaneously. These parts are made of holly wood. The box was also were made of holly wood. When the owl sent us in the future, he was carrying a bag in his talons. The object inside has the shape of a box. He never touched it... This means that holly wood repels him.

\- You are still talking about magic.

\- Not at all. But you humans do not know a lot about your world. The holly wood is not an earth species. These trees were transplanted from another planet, I don't know by who, but the reason is obvious.

\- Not for me.

\- There is a form of allergy for several species like the very bright. These life forms have no defined bodies such as humans. We speak rather of energy. This species may be associated with matter to change shape, but even if it takes the form of a bird to fly, it can't go over the parts without a part of it touching it. Which will force him to stay in the circle.

\- It could flee in time.

\- Well reasoned, but it takes him a huge amount of energy for each jump and he will have to wait a while before making another jump. We will have time to ask him. The circle is now formed; the trap is ready.


	11. The Very Bright

The creature materialized on time in the circle of chess pieces. It first appeared by a flash of light, and the snowy owl materialized, holding his bag in his talons. Cynthia felt the warmth of her hand burning her thigh; she quickly put it away from her body.

The snowy owl took the form of a young blond man, wearing checked shirt and dark colored woolen trousers, his dark eyes stared at the doctor.

\- Francis, exclaimed Nathaniel!

\- Who are you and why are you pursuing us?

\- I'm the doctor.

\- You're not human.

\- So are you.

Cynthia looked at the doctor, surprised. She should understand the allusions when he said: "you humans". But, somehow, it made sense. No human would have shown her what the doctor showed her in less than a day.

\- Who are you, asked the Time Lord?

\- We thought you guessed it, after all, you caught us.

\- I've narrowed the list to ten species. Are you a Yaps?

\- You insulted us: Yaps these are just pathetic!

\- Um ... hubris... Maybe a Nivditare.

\- Never heard.

\- Normal since they are in the other side of the galaxy.

The doctor's eyes widened as if he had discovered the truth.

\- No! Not a Timolarian!

\- Why does it surprise you?

\- The Timolarians are peaceful. They are not trying to destroy life on other planets ... unless ... they have banished you! This is it!

\- Good guess! Now, if you let us go to our work.

\- This is not possible. You endanger the inhabitants of this planet. They are not compatible with you, they will not survive symbiosis.

\- It does not matter because we can change host when they die.

\- I will not let you destroy the population of this planet.

\- Why would we do that? We need hosts to grow.

\- If it is not voluntary, it is accidental, but I've seen the future. There will be no life on Earth in less than fifty years and this is connected to what is happening here and now. You are responsible. No doubt about it.

The creature, aka Francis, alias "the Very Bright", was about to reply when a couple of cyclists emerged on the bike path, moving at full speed. When they saw the strange group that blocked their way, they went out of the track to avoid them, but one of them hung a chess piece, which broke the circle. The rest happened so quickly that no one had time to react.

The very bright turned into snowy owl and rushed outside the circle. The doctor tried to catch it, but he only had time to grab the box. The owl rushed to Cynthia and the world around her vanished in a blinding flash of light.


	12. A helping hand

The cyclists had rolled away at full speed without having seen nothing that had happened. The doctor took the box and looked to where Cynthia was few seconds ago. The horse pawed the ground. Nathaniel went to where she was standing.

\- Where is Cynthia, he asked?

\- He took her in time, murmured the doctor.

The latter pulled out of his pocket a strange device that emitted a few suspects beeps.

\- The signal is too weak. I could not track it. I don't know when she went.

He eyes lowered towards the box.

\- Fortunately, I have this. This box may allow us to find Cynthia. Come back to the Tardis!

10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

When Cynthia came to her sens, Nathaniel, the doctor and the horse were gone. There were only Francis who had taken human form. Her hand was burning more than ever. The bike path was gone, replaced by a path. She knew there was a path in the forest before the construction of the bike path. She must have been in the past, but in what year?

\- Stay still, said the very bright, or we will be forced to hurt you.

Cynthia recalled that Francis got tired after a jump in time, so she took the opportunity to run away. François turned into a wolf and launched in pursuit. Cynthia ran towards the road, if she managed to reach the road, she might be able to stop a car. For that, she had to reach it. She was not a good runner and was getting out of breath. She knew that the wolf was closed. She could hear him running behind her.

When she got on the road, so breathless she thought her lungs would ignite, she saw a car that was heading towards her at high speed. The car braked when Cynthia threw herself on the other side of the road. A mature man was driving the car, he stopped and spoke with a British accent.

\- Something's wrong, miss?

\- Can you take me to town?

\- Of course, please come in.

With a sigh of relief, she got into the car and then she cast a last look at the wolf who was looked at them. She knew he would not give up.

\- From who are you running away like that, asked the driver?

\- It's a long story. Can I ask you a weird question?

\- Go ahead!

\- What is the year?

The driver looked amused.

\- As you know, we are in 1989.

She was in the past, 20 years ago. The doctor was in the future, probably unaware of his situation.

\- You don't looks well. Can I help you?

She was tempted to trust him, but her story was too strange, he would never believe her.

\- Only the doctor can help me, but I lost him.

The old man suddenly stopped the car, then he turned to her.

\- Did you say the doctor?

\- I don't know his name. He refused to tell me, just the doctor.

\- He travel with what kind of vehicule?

\- You will not believe it.

\- A blue box, a police box?

\- The Tardis, confirmed that Cynthia who was beginning to understand. You are the brigadier.

The image of the savior of his childhood resurfaced, there was no doubt it was him.


	13. Tiny problem

The Galifeyan put the box on the Tardis' circular console. Then, as usual, and without caring for Nathaniel, he began to think aloud.

\- We now know that we are dealing with a renegade Timolarian. So in this box lives one of his body: a kind of tiny "very bright." As they age the Timolariens grows as they inoculate themselves into physical bodies of the inhabitants of their planet. It's a symbiosis in which both species benefit. The more Timolarian has bodies and the more it is powerful. He may adopt larger forms, more varied, he can travel through time. He may also move faster. Older develop tremendous energy that fuels power plants of their hosts. This "very bright" seeks to become powerful. But why, he asked fixing Nathaniel?

\- I do not know, 'replied the latter believing that the doctor asked his advice. Maybe he wants revenge.

The Time Lord then seemed to notice the young lumberjack.

\- This is it! You're right! He wants to return to his planet. But to have the energy that allows him to travel in space, he will need to inoculate so much bodies so much that it normally takes a thousand years to a Timolarian. If he tries to do it to quickly, he will then develop a power that he will not be able to control.

The doctor's smile vanished replaced by a grim.

\- It could kindle the world in a huge fire that would destroy everything. This is the cause of the end of the world before his time.

\- What should we do, asked Nathaniel?

\- We have to open the box and question the Timolarian therein, but two questions arise: how to open the box that even my sonic screwdriver can not open and how to prevent this symbiote to seek a new host.

\- I know Woodworking, can I examine the box, Nathaniel asked.

The doctor gave him a nod. The young man took it and almost drop it.

\- It's freezing!

\- That's because he is dying. He's been too long without a host and the fact not to feel the presence of its "parent" make it worse.

\- Can we do something for him?

\- He is only one part of a single entity. He will not die of losing that part of him.

\- If you say so, said the woodcutter who sometimes had difficulty in understanding this strange doctor out of a fantasy tale.

Nathaniel lived a great adventure. He did not know if it was real or not, if he was alive or dead. If he had left the mill of his father to go to the lumber camp, it was a spirit of adventure and not for money. However, lumberjack life had proved more troublesome than he had believed, until the doctor makes its appearance. No matter where he was, he tried to keep an open mind and try to not fear the unknown because he wanted to live this adventure to the end.

He swung the box and saw a hole in the side. He inserted his finger. He then heard a click. The box opened and a light mist merged. Nathaniel looked dazed when the doctor rushed at him and pushed him to the ground, the fog rushed to the doctor who sank into unconsciousness.

Nathaniel stood up and rushed to the Lord of time, he saw in the palm of his hand the same mark he saw on Cyntia and Batiste except it was black. The doctor opened his eyes: they were black completions without white and without iris. His face was contorted demonstrating the inner struggle. When he began to speak, Nathaniel realized he was talking to himself or to inside him.

\- I'm not human and I'm not a timolarian host. We are not compatible! You will not have me!

\- Doctor, what do I do, asked Nathaniel.

\- I must return to the mill ... and soon. It will not survive in me ... but if he leaves me, he will take you ... or others. I can not return him... in the box. I must place him where his parent was. I can hardly keep it... He wants out! Takes... a big mental effort. Cannot go with the Tardis… But... need to be fast…

\- Why not use Gus? I tied him to a tree.

\- Nathaniel, you're brilliant ! Stay in the Tardis…

The doctor rushed out. Through the door, Nathaniel saw him gallop away.


	14. The way to the mill

Cynthia told the whole story to the Brigadier. He was interested, but surprisingly skeptical.

\- But you knew the Doctor, argued Cynthia.

\- I have indeed seen things beyond imagination, but I always keep both feet on the ground, it is my nature. Whether you've lived something incredible, I want to believe it. However the fact that you are possessed by an alien lifeform and you just jump in time several time remains to be seen.

\- I must insist. I saw a man with the same disease as me and this man died. This is what awaits me if I can't find the doctor.

\- If he is in the future, as you say, it is up to him to find you.

\- I have to let him know where I am, or rather when I am.

\- The first thing to do would be to go to the mill. I could check your story and maybe find clues.

10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

In the Tardis, Nathaniel felt a growing discomfort. The place was so extraordinary that he dared not to touch anything and wait for the doctor's return. The sun was setting soon and the Doctor was still not returning. Why had he not insisted to accompany him?

To occupy his time, he had picked up debris from the box to examine them. The mark on the top had disappeared. For the rest, the box seem manufactured with the techniques of his time, at least in appearance. It connected him to a reality he knew. Only the strange blue metal lock looked different. There was no keyhole, and no mechanism that could explain how Nathaniel had managed to open the box.

Finally, he heard the noise of horseshoes outside. He opened the door, but only found Gus. The horse had returned alone. This was a bad sign. Nathaniel climb to the back of Gus, but did not take the bridle. He clung to his neck instead.

\- You alone know the way, he whispered in the ear of the animal, lead me to him. Ya!

The horse set off.

10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

The car, rented by the retired military in vacation, took the same small country road that Cynthia had took with the doctor a few hours earlier, twenty years later. As they approached the mill, the warmth of her hand was becoming unbearable. At this time, the creature was still a prisoner of the ruins of the mill. He would be released in twenty years. If Cynthia approached, she would give to the creature the strength it needed to escape. She could not go to the mill. She explained the situation to the Brigadier.

\- There is only one solution. I have to go to alone. But for that, I will have to leave you on the side of the road.

\- In that case, you should hurry.

\- Your pursuer could find you there.

She showed the palm of her hand to the brigadier. The marking was now swollen and very red.

\- Do I have the choice? This disease continues to progress and I don't know the time I have left.

The bridagier stopped the car.

\- I hurry, be careful.

\- You too.


	15. The shadow of a wolf

Nathaniel came to the ruins of the mill at dusk. He didn't see the doctor. He walked to the ground and saw a wide silhouette in the cellar of the old mill. He jumped into the hole and ran to him. He was relieved when he saw that the doctor was breathing. He looked at his hand: the mark had disappeared.

After much difficulty and employs a series of typical local profanity, he seized the doctor and pulled him out of the foundations of the mill. He tried to wake him up to obtain only unintelligible grunt. After a while, the Time Lord muttered something. Nathaniel approached the ear.

\- My coat ... in the ruins.

The sun was almost down and Nathaniel could barely glimpse the trenchcoat near the cellar stone wall. Approaching, he noticed that a stone had been removed and that behind this one was a rectangular hole that was once a hideout. He wondered who could have emptied the cache of its mysterious contents.

10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

The brigadier managed to dislodge the brick. He was right. This brick, which had seemed loose was a hiding camouflaged. He slipped his hand to get out a small wooden box. He examined it. She bore no particular brand, but the wood reminded him of the pieces of an old game of chess. A hole had been practiced to receive a lock, but there was none. He opened the box: it was empty. Disappointed, he decided to bring it back, it might have something to do with the box that Cynthia had described. After all, it was concealed there for some reason.

10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

Cynthia had found a tree and and leaned on it until the return of the brigadier. Time passed and her hand still burned her as much. She watched the road, hoping to see the blue car of the brigadier return. She rested her hand on the tree and waited. After a few minutes she noticed the smell of wood fire, she withdrew her hand. The bark was now marked with a burned hand trace. She wondered if she had to be amused or worried. She was getting used to the idea of this new destiny and she found it strange. In fact, she felt foreign to Cynthia.

Who was Cynthia?

Cynthia was a tool, a host for the Very Bright, a step towards power. Soon there would be hundreds, thousands of human hosts. The Very Bright expect an unprecedented power.

She was to join her avatar. Together, they would be more powerful. They would travel to the nearest town and find more hosts. She knew where he was, she could feel it. He could also feel her, she knew. He was coming toward her. She even knew from which direction he was coming. She knew he was in the forest, he had retained the shape of the wolf and he was closed.

She walked towards the forest, towards herself, towards the Very Bright. She did not hear the noise of the car, nor the door that opens and closes, but she felt the hand on her shoulder.

\- Cynthia, where are you going?

Cynthia gasped upon seeing that the brigadier had returned. Had she been so lost in thought that she had not heard him coming back? In fact, what was she thinking a moment before? The wolf was coming to them, he was close. The warmth of her hand increased.

\- He is coming, she whispered to Lethbridge-Steward.

The shadow of a wolf came out from the trees, walking to them, staring at Cynthia.


	16. The Tardis' arrival

The wolf advanced toward Cynthia who recoiled. The brigadier stood beside her. Cynthia was tired to continuously jump in time. She knew that if the wolf touched her, he would send her in another time. There was no escape; the car was too far to reach it on time. Only a few steps separated them from the Very bright. He was about to get her, but to her surprise, the brigadier pounced on the wolf.

The man and the animal rolled on the floor in a strange melee. Cynthia wanted to help the brigadier, but she felt unable to approach the wolf. She felt close to the point where she had trouble staying herself. The creature sought to take over her and each step towards the wolf gave him power. She simply could not approach.

The wolf had managed to bite Brigadier hands and fangs were now heading to his neck. The former military was losing the battle and Cynthia could do nothing but watch the scene helplessly. She stared so intensely that she immediately noticed that she was looking through a translucent blue object that materialized between her and the fight.

10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

The doctor clung to the console, Nathaniel served him as crutch. The galifreyen was not injured, he was drained of energy.

The young woodcutter had indeed asked him what had happened, but he had trouble understanding the explanation. The doctor was launched in a colorful speech about a well of souls which was actually a timolarienne prison in the ruins of the mill. He had confined the tiny Very bright in this prison, but the well had almost suck the Time Lord. Fight this force had taken him all his energies.

However, rather than resting, the doctor rushed to the console when he got back to the Tardis. With the help of Nathaniel, he had entered new coordinates. Most importantly, he now knew where and when was Cynthia. Nathaniel did not dare ask him how he knew. He was still struggling to recover from the explanation of the doctor on his mysterious illness.

10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

When the door of the Tardis opened, Cynthia rushed into the arms of the man who had opened : Nathaniel. She then saw the doctor, seated on the floor, visibly ill. She turned to Nathaniel.

\- I need help! Come quickly!

He followed her without question, they skirted the Tardis. The old man was lying unconscious and covered with blood.

\- The wolf fled because of the Tardis' arrival!

Nathaniel grabbed Lethbridge-Steward by the armpits and Cynthia took his feet. They carried him into the Tardis and laid him beside the doctor.

\- Nathaniel, muttered the doctor out of strength. Behind the door there, take the corridor, second door on the left you will find an emergency kit. Hurry!

Cynthia tried to forget that behind that door, there could be a corridor and at least two other rooms : all this in a tiny cabin!

\- By the way, how did you find me, she asked while examining the wounds of the bridagier?

\- I haven't told you ... I have unsuspected resources, he said with a weak smile. When Nathaniel opened the box, the Timolarien inside took me, so I trapped him in the mill. When this creature was in me, I had access to his thoughts and guess what? He was a future version of your parasite. That's how I knew where you were.

Nathaniel came with the kit, the doctor and Cynthia began to treat the wounds of the brigadier.

\- You mean the creature inside me will be trapped in the box one day?

\- That's right.

\- After my death?

\- The way he left your body is locked in his mind, like a traumatic episode.

\- It is not reassuring, Cynthia whispered.

When Brigadier was treated, the doctor reached into the bag outlet a dark chocolate palette.

\- This will give me energy, he explained, devouring.

\- Should you rest a little instead?

\- While the Very bright scatters himself in all humans he encounters? No! We do not have time for that.

\- And the brigadier? Is he contaminated?

\- No. I believe the wolf was taken by surprise. The wolf head to the city. We could take the car of the brigadier to get there.


	17. The search for the devil

Cynthia had taken the wheel, the doctor was sitting at her side while the brigadier that Nathaniel had worn, was still unconscious in the back seat. The galifreyen carefully examined the box that the brigadier had found in the ruins of the mill.

\- That's the same box, but it has not yet fulfilled its function.

The Time Lord then appeared in great shape, full of energy, different from the extreme fatigue which he seemed to suffer a few minutes ago.

\- How the chocolate could bring you back so quickly?

\- I'm not human, products that stimulate humans can have different effects on me. Moreover, a thermos full of tea already saved my life.

\- You never cease to amaze me, 'she said, smiling.

Nathaniel was sit next to the injured man on the back seat. He looks strange in the 80's with his tile shirt, his wool pants and suspenders. Yet he did not seem surprised by the fact he was in a car running without horse. After the interior of the Tardis, the vishirienne and a man changing into snowy owl, nothing could surprise him. He looked at the bridagier.

\- What do we do with him? He's not in shape to help us.

\- We will leave him to his hotel. In seeking the key for the car, I found the business card of a hotel called Le Dauphin. You know where it is, he asked Cynthia?

\- No problem.

After leaving the brigadier, still unconscious, at the hotel reception and spun quickly, the trio returned to the car and stalked the Very Bright by playing "getting warmer, getting colder " through the hand of Cynthia. However, as they explore the city, the temperature of her hand remained normal.

\- In the mean time, you could tell us the legends of the area, asked the doctor. I noticed that you know the subject well.

Cynthia thought for a moment.

\- Our legends here have this in common that it is often question of the devil. He sometimes takes an innocent person who was at fault, that such celebrated Shrove Tuesday after midnight, while the Lenten fast is started.

Nathaniel intervened at that time.

\- There are often ways to fool the Angel of Darkness.

The doctor seemed lost in thought, then he said:

\- The Angel of Darkness! Is that what you said?

\- Well, yes, the devil, Satan, Lucifer ... he is given many names.

\- The Vishrienne spoke of dark presence ... You know what mean Lucifer?

\- According to myth, before being driven out of Paradise, the devil was called the angel of light.

Suddenly she froze and looked the mark in her hand, frightened.

\- The Very bright, confirmed the doctor. But it's not really the devil. That is what myths have made of him. He must be on Earth from a long time.

\- But this myth was not born here in Canada.

\- Indeed. I think this prison has several doors. I discovered in the ruins of the mill a well of souls is like a window into his world. There surely has this kind ok window at different place on Earth. The presence of this well explains why it is very present in the legends of the area.

Cynthia's hand began to heat up, but she barely felt it, too focused on her conversation and the mind a bit clouded by the tiny Very Bright which was becoming stronger.

\- As I understand it, she said, this is not the mill, but the Earth wich is his prison. How is this possible? If it's locked, how can he have inspired so many legends where he appeared free?

\- People of his kind can not live without host, while his people have built him a prison on a inhabited planet with all its windows, he feels the presence of humans and it feeds on it, but without harming them. It is through it that he survives. However, this captivity without real hosts is unbearable. He tries to escape and take possession of human beings. Humans who were touched by his presence, had to undergo some influence: they saw his dreams, his hopes, his fears and made up stories.

The doctor spoke at full speed with exitation, like if he was realizing something while talking. He turned to the young lumberjack.

\- Nathaniel, you said there was a parade, a way to trick the devil in these tales.

\- Yes, a pure soul can intervene.

\- As a child, Cynthia continued. There is a legend that two women encounter the devil who wants to take them. One has a baby on her back. The two women hold the baby and the devil, not able to approach them, walked away.

\- In a story my mother told me, Nathaniel said, the devil had come disguised as a handsome stranger at a Shrove Tuesday party, revelers did not see the time pass and after midnight, he took his true shape. A child who was sleeping in the house woke up, heard panicked screams and went to see. This has send away the devil.

\- It is the state of mind that counts: the innocence or simply a mind that is not inhabited by all the worries and fears of adults. But how can we use this against him? That did not stop him trying to kidnap you at four years old. It's not being a child, it is another thing.

They needed to find a solution quickly. Cynthia felt her time was running out. Her little demon was getting stronger and she was becoming weaker. The parasite wanted to be found by his parents and he would do anything for that.

The doctor suddenly grabbed the hand of Cynthia.

\- It's hot, he said. Why did you not tell us that it had warmed just now?

\- What makes you think ...

She then discovered with dismay that the rubber wheel was deformed under the heat of her hand.

\- I did not know.

The doctor turned her hand to look at the palm: the swelling had spread, but that's not what he was looking for. Cynthia realized that red patches had appeared on her arm, like Baptiste. She might try to think of something else, fight to find this demon and give him back his poisoned gift, evil progressed in silence. She was tired of fighting.

\- _That's it, give up,_ a little voice told her, _we will take care of you._ _Give up and let go._ _We will take care of everything._

\- Leave me alone, she cried!

The doctor and Nathaniel looked at her, worried.

\- I think I better take the wheel, said the galifreyan.

She drove up the car in the parking lot of a car wash and remained in her seat, visibly discouraged.

\- How will we find him now, if I'm not even aware of the warmth of my hand?

\- He will come to us. He needs you.

\- Do not lie to me! He can take as many guests he wants in this city. He don't need me. The only way to find him is to let the creature in me take control. He wants to return to his parent, but if I let him, he will do anything he can to run away.

\- If you do so, gently said the doctor, you might never be able to regain control. I will never allow it. We'll find another way.

Nathaniel put his head between the front seats and took the hand of Cynthia.

\- I beg you, don't do that!

She looked at him : hazel eyes, dark blond hair, his 3-day beard. She never noticed before how beautiful he was. Beautiful and naive. He was coming from a time where things were more difficult, but more simple. He could not understand what it is to have the fate of the world on his shoulders. The Very Bright had to be stopped at all costs, otherwise there would be nothing left.

\- No, then said Cynthia, there are no other solutions. I have to let him control me. I'll do it, but be careful, he is treacherous and cunning. He will do anything to run away from you.

She noticed the sad eyes of the doctor, the same as when he had announced the death of Baptiste. He had lost a lot of people, she felt it.

\- Wait, then said Nathaniel. Not now...

She looked at him, he had tears in his eyes, yet she hardly knew him, but when she saw that look, her heart missed a beat.

\- Since I saw you the first time down in the snow, I thought ... well ... I knew I will never be the same. I beg you, don't do this! Marry me.

Strange as it may seem, she wanted to accept. So she brought her face closed to his face and their lips touched. At that moment, nothing else mattered. On the planet, among the billions of people, two hearts found each other and Cynthia had found peace.

When they parted, she had no fear of death and no fear of the Very Bright. She felt in her a great heat that spread in all her body. She then realized that an intense light radiated from her. She beamed literally. The lumberjack was dumbfounded and the doctor was marveled. She barely noticed the doctor who held the box wide open before her. Slowly, she felt things return to normal; the heat and light was going away. When it was over, she looked at her hand: the mark had disappeared.

The doctor closed the box and firmly maintained with one hand while with the other he was rummaging through the many pockets of his coat to finally come out with a blue cylinder that he plunged into the hole designed to receive a lock. He then handed the box to Nathaniel.

\- Quickly press the cylinder.

Nathaniel obeyed hesitantly. When his finger touched the cylinder, it plunged into the hole. The doctor sighed.

\- The circle is completed. The tiny Very Bright is in the box, locked by a corazian lock which I picked up on a lost planet that residents had put up for sale piece by piece ... well ... it's a long story. This lock is inviolable and the only key that exists is the contact of the person who locked it : Nathaniel.

\- Me? That's how I was able to open it then! But it should be you?

\- No! It happened like that and it will happen like that. If we want to resolve this situation, it is better not to complicate it with a paradox.

\- If you said so, nodded Nathaniel proud of his new resolution to try to understand the doctor.

The doctor then gave a beaming smile to Cynthia.

\- You did it ... the strength of mind it takes ... you are magnificent, both of you!

\- I remind you that we are still have looking for the very bright. He is contaminating many people right now and we still do not know where he is or how to find him.

The doctor showed her the box.

\- We could still play to "getting colder, getting warmer".

Cynthia replied with a mischievous smile.

\- I beat this game.


	18. Let's go shopping

\- Sir?

The brigadier grumbled and opened one eye. A young woman was looking at him. He acknowledged the lobby of his hotel.

\- Are you all right, asked the hotel receptionist?

It hurt everywhere, but he was not seriously injured. He wondered by what miracle he found himself there. The last thing he remembered was that wolf was about to devour him.

\- I'm fine, 'he said finally.

He noticed the bandages on his hands. Someone took care of his injuries!

\- How did I get here?

\- Your friends have deposited you. You were attacked by a dog as it seems. You're lucky you have a doctor in your friends.

\- Doctor?

\- The girl who was with him called him like that.

He was a little disappointed to have missed the reunion with his longtime friend. He decided to help the doctor in wathever he was doing.

\- You know where they go?

\- No, but they seemed rushed.

Lethbridge-Stewart stood up abruptly. The Doctor and Cynthia were surely looking for the creature. In memory of the good old days, he had to help. But what could he do? He knew little about this creature, except he was seeking host bodies. He was a predator, like the wolf he had taken shape.

In its own way, Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart was also a predator. All his life he had hunted dangerous aliens to first protect his country and then, his planet. If that creature was looking for human hosts, he would certainly go to a public place where many people gathered.

\- Where people go tonight, he asked the receptionist?

\- What do you mean?

\- At this hour, where can we find crowd in this town?

She thought for a moment.

\- Well, today is Thursday and it is 19.30. At this time, on Thursday, people will shop. So I would look at the mall. It's close from here, you only have to cross the street and walk west. It is a ten minutes walk.

\- Thank you, 'he said while he was rushing out of the hotel.

10 - 10 - 10 - 10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10

\- Turn left ... no continue. Finally, I think it would have been necessary to turn.

Cynthia braked and parked the car to the side.

\- What's up with that box?

\- The creature is too weak. The temperature change is hardly noticeable.

Cynthia said nothing, visibly discouraged. Their only chance of finding the Very Bright had just fainted. The only course of action was now to go back to the brigadier to give him back his car.

The brigadier ...

In the buried memory of her abduction, he seemed taller. Normal, since she was so small! The attacker also seemed huge to her. But she just realised that he looks like Francis, dressed differently. Of course, that was Francis, not any host who had tried to kidnap her.

\- He is in the mall, she realized aloud.

The doctor understood.

\- he is the one who tried to kidnap you!

\- Yes ... dammit! The bridagier had bandages on his hands when he saved me! It's today! It is about to happen.

The car went backwards until the last street and turned left towards the shopping center.


	19. The mercy of a Time Lord

The Very Bright had found the hostess of the Second. She was much younger and not yet hostess, but she would be useful to trap this damned Time Lord. Francis had known these galifreyans with their principles of non-interference, but who came to stick their nose into other people's business as soon as they turned their back. He was exiled because of them. After all, his timolarians compatriots had been at the Time Lords's beck and call for too long.

He had thought that after their disappearance, he could return home and take the place that was due to him, but he was still one. And as long as these scums survive, he could not find freedom. He was planning to flee this doctor, but he was always coming back to him. He had no choice, he had to eliminate him. The child will be usefull as a bait.

However, the Very Bright did not realize there was a flaw in his plan: humans were also able to thwart his plans. He realized this too late when the fist of the man he had left for dead a few hours earlier fell on his face. The man quickly get away with the girl. The timolarian stood up, ready to go after him.

\- A moment, Francis, said a voice behind him that he immediately recognized.

He turned. The doctor, the hostess of the Second and Nathaniel came out of a car and walked straight to him.

\- Doctor, there you are! You arrive earlier than we would have thought, but you fell right into our trap.

As he spoke, people came out from the mall and others from their car. All converged on the trio and Francis and all wore the mark. They surrounded the doctor, Cynthia and Nathaniel.

\- Very Bright, said the doctor! I give you the choice. I can get you back on your planet. I will negotiate with your people the end of your exile. I am a Time Lord they will listen to me. Maybe they can not set you free, but they will make your captivity less painful than on Earth. Leave the humans alone. Frees your hosts and I'll bring you home.

\- Ha! Ha! Ha! Now we are free and powerful and you, you are at our mercy. Why would we listen to you?

\- Because otherwise, I will destroy you.

The Timolarien laughed evilly while his hosts stayed imperturbable.

\- You are at our mercy, Time Lord, and you threaten us! You have a good sens of humour.

\- This is your last chance, the Doctor added with a cold glance.

\- So we have to decline. Now it's your turn to suffer, man of Galifrey.

Many thin wires of light were formed between hosts and the Very Bright which suddenly looked just like his name. He pointed his hand to the doctor and a ray of light hit him and stayed on him. Under the sudden and intense pain, the gallifeyan fell to his knees. Nathaniel and Cynthia rushed to help him.

\- Don't touch me!

Cynthia stepped back, Nathaniel hesitated and did the same. She then noticed that around the light web woven by the Very Bright, the hosts were visibly tense and frightened.

\- He doesn't yet control them completely, she thought. They are resisting.

The doctor also knew this fact because the next moment, he spoke directly to them.

\- You can free yourself, he said with effort. You must banish fear and all negative feelings. He feeds on it. The more you are afraid, the stronger he is. Think of those you love, think about what gives you peace of mind. Visualize a place where you are at peace. Concentrate!

Some links got broken, some hosts lited for a short time while the mark disappeared from their hand.

\- That's all you can do. We coasted human enough to know that they are immersed in negative feeling, with few exception. They are too primitive to break free.

\- That's because you don't understand us, then exclaimed Cynthia.

She went to the newly released hosts.

\- Help me, she said. We must liberate everyone.

She started singing a tune known to all, a gentle and peaceful folk song with an angelic voice. Slowly the solo became duo, trio, quintet, and finally a chorus of voices joins the choir. One by one, the wires disappeared and the marks vanished. The Very Bright was darkening. The ray of light that tortured the doctor disappeared. He rose, serious and triumphant, admiring the spectacle of an improvised choir who was continuing the recital.

\- NO! You can not! You are ours! You can not free yourself!

The Timolarian howled incessantly with anger and pain until he had lost every host. He collapsed exausted.

\- Continue, shouted the doctor to the choir! Concentrate on these feelings of peace and love. If you stop, he will get his strength back.

The heart intensified, led by the crystalline voice of Cynthia while Francis was weakening. He became translucent, he was loosing its consistency. He cast a last look at the doctor.

\- Have mercy...

\- Too late, said the Gallifreyan who turned away.

The Very Bright thus disappeared before the astonished gaze of all his former hosts.


	20. Full circle

They left the box in the car and the car in the parking lot. The car was rented with the name of Lethbridge-Stewart, no doubt it will get back to him. He would find the box and would know what to do. Full circle.

The trio returned to the Tardis, which traveled into the past to bring Nathaniel to the camp, but when the moment came to leave, Cynthia decided to stay with the young lumberjack. She left the Tardis and stood alongside Nathaniel holding the horse by the bridle.

\- It's not your time, Cynthia, recalled the doctor. Here, women have less autonomy.

\- But I know that, Nathaniel argued, unlike men of my era. She can do what she wants. I am the son of a miller. I know everything about this business. We will build a mill in the region if she wants.

\- This is what I want, confirmed Cynthia. Somehow, I've always lived in the past by seeking and analyzing ancient tales. My place is here.

Cynthia noticed a glimmer of sadness in the eyes of the doctor.

\- You wanted to keep me with you, isn't it?

\- I have always traveled with companions, but in the end they are all gone. I don't want companions. Too hard ...

\- Your eyes say otherwise. You needs someone.

At this time, Gus whinnied with enthusiasme.

\- I think he want to come with you, Nathaniel said laughing.

The Time Lord considered the animal, smiling.

\- He is very useful indeed and a good companion. I could turn Ace's room in a stable. I could stoked oats in the warehouse number two. However, I'm not sure how I could managed the waste. I could ... No! Too complicated. I'm sorry, Gus, you must return to the logging camps.

Gus pawed the ground with disappointment. For her part, Cynthia had had enough to imagine this box getting a lot bigger in the inside that she believed, so she grew impatient.

\- You have warehouses in there! How big is your Tardis?

\- Don't tell anyone, said the doctor, smiling, but I once got lost in the Tardis.

\- _I should not ask, thought Cynthia fighting a dizziness_.

\- Before I go, I have something to ask you, Nathaniel.

\- Holly wood is hard to find, but I promise you that I will build this box.

\- How did you guess?

\- When I looked at the remains of the box: it was built according to the technique that my father taught me. There are some defects. I always make the same kind of mistakes when I build something. So I will build this box and hide it in the basement of my mill.

\- The mill will be built above the Well of Souls, it will be difficult to live there?

\- As long as we will be happy and at peace, we will be ok, 'said Cynthia. If misfortune happens, we leave the mill. Legend says that the mill has had several millers. The legend should be fulfilled.

\- The legend also says that a wife disappeared there. It could be you.

\- It will happen to me if I see, by a beautiful summer day, a blue box materialize. I might not resist the call of adventure.

\- In this case, the miller also risks disappearing, Nathaniel retorted.

\- Anyway, even if legends are based on reality, there is always elements of fantasy. Our future is not a legend.

\- Good luck to you both, said the galiffreyan, touched.

He closed the door and after the usual engine noise, the Tardis fainted.


End file.
